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Elevated cancer risk found in city; South Seattle air pollution study is called 'alarming'
8/8 Seattle PI story on Duwamish air quality study
August 8, 2008
By ROBERT McCLURE
SEATTLE P-I REPORTER
Residents of a broad swath of South Seattle from Seward Park to West Seattle face elevated cancer risks because of air pollution, according to a soon-to-be released government study.
The risks are significantly elevated in pockets of industrial pollution – and skyrocket within about 200 yards of highways, says the long-awaited study by state and federal scientists.
Even miles from factories and major freeways, cancer risks appear to be elevated when people breathe wood smoke from chimneys, says the study, believed to be the first of its kind in Washington.
... Heather Trim, who tracks pollution in the Duwamish River area for the environmental group People for Puget Sound, said the study "confirms what we already suspected – that there's a big problem."